Georgia (the country)
Welcome back! The day you have been looking forward to is finally here and we're going to finally tell you something about fantastic and delicious Georgian cuisine! But before we start I hope that you are all staying safe with covered noses and mouths and washing your hands constantly!!!
I have decided to stick to the chronological and geographical division of food (we ate) mainly because it will be easier for you if you only travel to some parts of Georgia. Therefore I will start and end with Tbilisi but if you have been reading our trip tips, then you already know which order they will be in.
Useful tip: If you order this, watch a video on how to eat it. There is a very easy trick that makes it a lot easier than to fight with the cutlery - basically, you tear the thick parts on the outside and then you use it to wipe out the cheese and egg mixture.
Adjarian Khachapuri became our favourite khachapuri immediately. The egg, cheese and the amazing fluffy dough make an unbelievable combination. And it's fun to eat!
Kharcho was a no-brainer at this point, and again we were not disappointed.
I knew it, I knew that writing about this means I'd kill for some khachapuri. Oh, they really are masters of bread. Now I'm thinking if I could make a khachapuri at home but I think if I alter the cheese, it will be everything but authentic. Anyway, I could source some local cheese and then...Not possible right? Oh, let me day-dream a bit :D. In reality, I'm going to finish my coffee and then we're going to make some lunch (no, not khachapuri, unfortunately). So I can look forward to that! Provechito as they say in Latin America where I'm going to take you in two weeks. C U there!
I have decided to stick to the chronological and geographical division of food (we ate) mainly because it will be easier for you if you only travel to some parts of Georgia. Therefore I will start and end with Tbilisi but if you have been reading our trip tips, then you already know which order they will be in.
Tbilisi (beginning, Georgian Bread and Pavilion Restaurant)
Churchkhela (nuts on a thread covered in sweet syrup) is one of the most amazing Georgian inventions which I am really envious of. To be honest, I do not know what they use to make the syrup but the nuts give off a very healthy snack feeling. We had thought Churchkhelas were going to be unbearably sweet but this wasn't the case at all. They are strongly recommended for hikes and all-day trips as they are light and yummy!
You can find them everywhere in Georgia, so you do not have to stock up in Tbilisi.
You can probably guess that the Georgians are fabulous bread makers (it should be so when their most famous dish is khachapuri). This includes any bread-like thing that you can think of. Even the bread itself with some cheese and you will want more and more and more. Until you physically and literally cannot have any more. There is nothing better than buying fresh and hot bread directly from some small stall. Then you have to endure a bit of waiting so you will not burn your insides and then it's time to dig in. That was exactly what we did! No cheese but the bread was super-delicious either way!
Useful tip: This is where you find the Georgian Bread. After you buy the bread, go to Erekles Square for some peace and quiet (and shade) to enjoy it.
I don't know if I told you this but I love going to the local stores every time we're abroad. Tbilisi wasn't an exception, of course. And, as always, it was worth it. Besides the fact that from that moment on, we had a digestive with us (you can also consider it as a disinfectant - yes, quarantine is taking its toll on me) we also had a bag of various biscuits. You can buy any weight you want and any type you want. These cookies/biscuits were a lifesaver when we were in a car for several hours. And as we bought quite a lot, they lasted almost till the end of our trip. And they were extremely cheap. So when we ignore the fact that they're not the healthiest of the snacks, there is absolutely no reason not to buy them.
For our first dinner in Georgia, we chose the Pavilion restaurant (seems it's closed since November). We tried Gebzhalia (sulguni cheese in sour cream mint sauce), selection of typical Georgian spreads and some Khinkali (Georgian dumplings filled with cheese or meat). It was a really nice introduction to Georgian cooking however, I would not go for Gebzhalia again. It looks very good and it tastes fine but my problem with it was that is was cold. I guess it's supposed to be cold but the problem is when you expect it to be melting a bit and the sauce to be pleasantly warm, you really do not enjoy the cold thing they bring you.
The spreads were fine, it's a good appetizer, it requires lots of bread, which is its main advantage. And as for the Khinkali, I come back to those later.
You can find them everywhere in Georgia, so you do not have to stock up in Tbilisi.
 |
| Georgian famous churchkhelas sold by a street vendor |
You can probably guess that the Georgians are fabulous bread makers (it should be so when their most famous dish is khachapuri). This includes any bread-like thing that you can think of. Even the bread itself with some cheese and you will want more and more and more. Until you physically and literally cannot have any more. There is nothing better than buying fresh and hot bread directly from some small stall. Then you have to endure a bit of waiting so you will not burn your insides and then it's time to dig in. That was exactly what we did! No cheese but the bread was super-delicious either way!
Useful tip: This is where you find the Georgian Bread. After you buy the bread, go to Erekles Square for some peace and quiet (and shade) to enjoy it.
 |
| Freshly baked bread |
I don't know if I told you this but I love going to the local stores every time we're abroad. Tbilisi wasn't an exception, of course. And, as always, it was worth it. Besides the fact that from that moment on, we had a digestive with us (you can also consider it as a disinfectant - yes, quarantine is taking its toll on me) we also had a bag of various biscuits. You can buy any weight you want and any type you want. These cookies/biscuits were a lifesaver when we were in a car for several hours. And as we bought quite a lot, they lasted almost till the end of our trip. And they were extremely cheap. So when we ignore the fact that they're not the healthiest of the snacks, there is absolutely no reason not to buy them.
For our first dinner in Georgia, we chose the Pavilion restaurant (seems it's closed since November). We tried Gebzhalia (sulguni cheese in sour cream mint sauce), selection of typical Georgian spreads and some Khinkali (Georgian dumplings filled with cheese or meat). It was a really nice introduction to Georgian cooking however, I would not go for Gebzhalia again. It looks very good and it tastes fine but my problem with it was that is was cold. I guess it's supposed to be cold but the problem is when you expect it to be melting a bit and the sauce to be pleasantly warm, you really do not enjoy the cold thing they bring you.
The spreads were fine, it's a good appetizer, it requires lots of bread, which is its main advantage. And as for the Khinkali, I come back to those later.
 |
| Various spreads and khinkali at the Pavilion restaurant |
Stepantsminda (hotel restaurant)
The only thing that made it to our special food list was Imeruli Khachapuri (cheese-filled bread). It was the first one we tried and overall it is my third favourite Khachapuri. It's warm and the cheese makes it not dry and it's a very fine addition to the spreads or many other Georgian delicacies - we had it with baked mushrooms stuffed with sulguni cheese. You can eat it any time of the day and it's really easy for take-away as the cheese is inside. Definitely a must-try!Vardzia (Cafe Vardzia)
Looking back - and I already said that - this was the best pain-in-the-ass idea we had in Georgia (more on why to be found here). We went to Cafe Vardzia - a small home-like restaurant right next to the river. We tried everything that sounded good - from corn hashbrowns to yet another type of Khachapuri. The Kharcho soup (thick bean soup) became an immediate favourite along with the Khachapuri na shampure (bread filled with cheese baked on a stick) - overall our second favourite khachapuri. Telchac enjoyed the fish - sitting by the river you feel like they just caught it recently. We also had the mushrooms again, I had told you we fell in love with so many meals there. Corn "hashbrowns" were a bit disappointing, it could have been better with some sauce or salad or something that we had not ordered. :D |
| Amazing dinner at the Vardzia Cafe |
Shekvetili (hotel room service)
And finally, the time had come and we decided (despite all our reservations) to go ahead and try the famous Adjarian Khachapuri (khachapuri with cheese on top and raw egg on top of the cheese).Useful tip: If you order this, watch a video on how to eat it. There is a very easy trick that makes it a lot easier than to fight with the cutlery - basically, you tear the thick parts on the outside and then you use it to wipe out the cheese and egg mixture.
Adjarian Khachapuri became our favourite khachapuri immediately. The egg, cheese and the amazing fluffy dough make an unbelievable combination. And it's fun to eat!
Kharcho was a no-brainer at this point, and again we were not disappointed.
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| Adjarian khachapuri and Kharcho soup at Paragraph Resort & Spa |
Mestia (Cafe Seti)
Mestia means our last type of khachapuri and our big khachapuri discord. I am talking about the Megruli Khachapuri (bread stuffed and topped with different types of cheese) and about the fact that while I'd rather go have imeruli khachapuri, Telchac prefers this one. He insists the more cheese (when it comes to khachapuri), the better. I think that megruli khachapuri is too pizza-like to be authentic. For me, it feels like it's tourist-pleasing offering - if you find Georgian food too unique and crazy, here, have a megruli khachapuri, it's basically a pizza. And everybody likes pizza, right?! And it even looks like pizza! So when it comes to third and fourth place, I'd put this one at fourth. |
| Megruli khachapuri in Mestia |
Tbilisi (last day; Marto Khinkali)
There is one more place in Tbilisi that we tried. It was after our journey from Mestia, at around 9pm and we were as hungry as a wolf. We found the nearest Khinkali place (Marto Khinkali) and went there. They were really kind to pack it all up as we wanted to have them in our room but they were pretty packed so we had to wait a looooong time. The waiting was torture - we were sitting right in front of the kitchen where you could see the cooks prepare the food - but we had no choice. At last, our khinkali came and we felt like Usain Bolt when we ran back to the hotel. |
| Waiting at MartoKhinkali |
Drinks
There are two drinks that you absolutely need to try - typical Georgian lemonade (Telchac is a big fan of pear, I'd rather go for tarkhun/tarragon flavor). Both are delicious though, and we ordered them with every meal. I think, Telchac regrets a bit that he hadn't stock up on those. Also definitely try Chacha - they say it's vodka, but it's hardly that strong (it tastes more like a liquor, so no hangover after few shots). It's also very typical in Georgia so you should try it. Btw we had chacha after our longest and most adventurous day, the day we "stayed" at two hotels, and at the same time the day we left Mestia and came back to Mestia (all the details here) so it was absolutely necessary and asked for to end that day with a bottle of Chacha. |
| Chacha it is :) |
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| Zandukeli - Georgian pear soft drink |
I knew it, I knew that writing about this means I'd kill for some khachapuri. Oh, they really are masters of bread. Now I'm thinking if I could make a khachapuri at home but I think if I alter the cheese, it will be everything but authentic. Anyway, I could source some local cheese and then...Not possible right? Oh, let me day-dream a bit :D. In reality, I'm going to finish my coffee and then we're going to make some lunch (no, not khachapuri, unfortunately). So I can look forward to that! Provechito as they say in Latin America where I'm going to take you in two weeks. C U there!